


What an Ice Surprise

by Taliax



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Alya Césaire Is The Best, Asexual Character, Asexual Kagami Tsurugi, Autistic Kagami Tsurugi, Awesome Nino Lahiffe, Birthday Party, F/M, Fox Alya Césaire | Rena Rouge, Friendship, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth Has No Rights, Gen, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Identity Reveal, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, M/M, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Mutual Pining, Past Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Platonic Relationships, Protective Kagami Tsurugi, Romance, Wingman Nino Lahiffe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:02:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25477360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliax/pseuds/Taliax
Summary: Kagami and Nino plan a surprise party for Adrien's seventeenth birthday.  With help from their friends, nothing can go wrong this time.  Nino's even invited an extra special guest who's sure to make Adrien's night.Nino & Kagami & Adrien friendship, with a side of Ladrien
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois & Kagami Tsurugi, Luka Couffaine/XY (Miraculous Ladybug), Nino Lahiffe & Kagami Tsurugi
Comments: 107
Kudos: 231





	1. The Plan

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThisKwamiNeeds_aNap](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThisKwamiNeeds_aNap/gifts).



> This was a request from thiskwamineedsanap! The original idea was for any kind of Nino, Kagami, and Adrien friendship. Adrien isn’t quite here in this chapter, but you’ll see him in the next one. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Oh, and all of them are 16-17 here by the way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> art in this chapter was done by PlaPla!! Thanks for taking my commission! (Link: https://amiraculousplatypus.tumblr.com/post/625099356065955840/one-two-three-one-two-three-the-music-was)

“Hmm.” Kagami’s brow furrowed as she stared at Nino’s _Operation: Totally Swank Party_ binder. The two of them sat on a bench in the park, where she had agreed to meet him after slipping away from her fencing lesson. “Bribing the bodyguard is a proven technique. Get me a list of action figures his collection is missing, and I’ll have them by tomorrow.”

“Way ahead of you, dude.” Nino tore a piece of notebook paper out. He’d done his research last night after a long phone call with Adrien. “Glad I can count on you.”

“Of course.” She neatly folded the paper and slipped it into her jacket pocket. “I’ll have them shipped to your apartment. Do you have a plan to dispose of his babysitter?”

Nino sighed and flipped to the page with a doodle of Nathalie with horns at the top. It was a much more tentative outline than what he’d prepared to deal with the Gorilla. Hopefully Kagami would be able to help him with that.

“Nathalie’s whole job is to suck out all the fun in my bro’s life. We’ll never be able to throw this party with her in the picture.”

He’d tried the past three years. From Hawkmoth transforming him into the Bubbler, to Nathalie locking him in a closet, to Gabe himself nearly arresting him for trespassing, each had been a total bust. At this point Adrien probably wasn’t expecting Nino to try.

But Adrien was his best bro. Nino would never give up on throwing him the most poppin’ party ever. 

Plus, this year, he had a secret weapon. One that even Kagami didn’t know about.

“You seem quite prepared.” Kagami squinted at the page. “You’re sure Max can play his part? The Agrestes use my mother’s security technology.”

“Positive. He and Markov can hack anything.” 

Max had already wired into the speaker system last time they threw a party for Adrien. Of course, on Adrien’s birthday, the mansion would be too obvious a target. That’s why the plan just required getting his bro out of the house altogether.

“I’ll trust you, then. What exactly is my role?”

Nino grinned, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You, my good bro, will be sneaking Adrien away from his fake fencing lessons. Adrien says you’ve done it a thousand times, and his pops still barely knows who you are. You’ve got like, some kind of invisibility superpower.”

“I simply have practice. That’s all.” She took his pen and began making notes in his binder. “Nathalie will realize we’re gone approximately forty-five minutes after we leave. The Gorilla has set patrol routes for finding Adrien when he goes missing, which I can map out for you.”

“If he takes the bribes, that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Kagami was already sketching out a map of the city on a clean sheet of paper. Geez, how did she remember all that? He doubted he could even draw the path from his apartment to Alya’s.

“I don’t want to take any chances. We cannot fail Adrien. Do you have a venue reserved already?”

“Huh?” Nino scratched under his hat. Kagami was pretty rad, but it was hard to follow her train of thought sometimes. “Oh, right! I was thinking the hotel. Now that Chloé’s not a total jerk—”

“No. Too obvious. Nathalie will find us within the hour.” Kagami frowned and tapped the pen against the back of her hand. “The ice rink will be our best option. It’s out of his bodyguard’s patrol zone, and it can accommodate all of Adrien’s friends. We hid there all the time when we were dating, and no one ever found us.”

“Sure, sure, there’s just one problem.” He grinned nervously and tapped his fingers together. “I, uh, don’t know how to skate.”

Kagami tilted her head and. “Really? No matter. His birthday is twenty-one days away. You have plenty of time to learn.”

Over her shoulder, he watched her write _“Teach Nino to ice skate”_ in her crisp print.

“Uhh… well, I guess that works.” Hopefully everyone else knew how to skate already, or they could just enjoy the food and cake from the seats surrounding the rink. Nino could technically do that too, but he didn’t want to miss hanging out on the ice with his best bro.

“I’ve seen you parkour with Alya. You seem like you’ll learn quickly.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Nino chuckled. “Just get ready to watch me starfish out there.”

Her lips pursed thoughtfully. “If it proves too difficult for you, I can try to find a backup location. I doubt one exists that will fit everyone you’ve listed, though.” She flipped back to the guest list, which included all of their classmates from the last few years, Adrien’s whole fencing team, and a few other friends like Luka and XY. Pretty much everyone Adrien had ever interacted with was on the list.

Except for one special guest, but Nino had left her out on purpose.

“No, no, it’ll be fine! I’m just joking, dude.”

“Oh.” Her face pinked a bit. “How are we going to deliver the invitations without alerting Nathalie or Adrien’s father?

“I’ve started planning that too.” Nino flipped forward a few pages. “The most important guests—ones who aren’t gonna snitch on us—will get their invites a week in advance. The rest will get theirs by text on the day of. If they can’t come, they can’t come.” It was the best solution he’d been able to come up with. He was sure that even if people did have plans, most would drop them for a chance to party with Adrien Agreste.

“Hmm. It still feels too obvious. The fencing team in particular may give us up.” She frowned before scratching a few names off the list. Well, she was on the team herself; she would know better than anyone who could be trusted. “You’re right though. This does seem like the best plan.”

Nino grinned. One nice thing about Kagami was that when she gave a compliment, he knew it was sincere. If she agreed with his birthday plan, then it was as close to foolproof as it could be.

“Sweet. I think that covers everything for now.”

“A very productive planning session.” Kagami nodded before holding out her fist.

Nino laughed and bumped knuckles with her. After a year of hanging out with him and his bro, Kagami was finally getting the hang of fist bumps.

“Meet me at the ice rink at eighteen hundred on Saturday. We’ll begin your lessons then.”

She closed the binder and handed it back to him, then stood and walked away.

“Skating lessons with Kagami, huh…” 

This was either going to be a legit time, or he was going to make a total idiot of himself.

XXX

“Come on, Nino, you’ve got this!” Alya called encouragement as she and Marinette lapped him again. He frowned at their backs. How was it that even _Marinette,_ certified clumsiest girl in Paris, could be a better skater than him?

“Focus, Nino.” Kagami snapped her fingers. She stayed near him, slowing her pace even though she could’ve skated rings around him. “Your girlfriend’s praise will only become reality if you practice proper technique. Keep your weight centered.”

“Right, right.” He pushed off from the handrail and tried not to flap his arms. This time, he made it a solid twenty seconds before he slipped and went skidding across the ice. His hat slid off in the opposite direction, but Kagami quickly retrieved it.

“Don’t try to go so fast. Catching up to Marinette and Alya isn’t your goal.” Kagami’s advice was blunt, but helpful. Nino didn’t mind her getting to the point. He knew his skating needed work, and no matter how many times he fell, she didn’t lose patience with him.

It was nice that Alya was so far ahead, honestly. It meant she didn’t see him look like a total dorkasaurus every time he fell.

_I’m doing this for Adrien,_ he reminded himself each time. He didn’t need to be a pro skater. He just needed to be able to stay upright.

“You make it look so easy.” He frowned as Kagami glided backwards.

“I’ve been skating since I was six. It makes a relaxing hobby.”

He snorted. “How is anything about this _relaxing?”_

“Hmm. Perhaps you’re thinking too hard. It makes you hesitate, place your weight incorrectly. You’re a musician, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Yeah, you know I’m DJ-ing for the party.” He had no clue why Kagami was asking, though.

“Skating has a rhythm. Maybe you’ll feel more comfortable timing your strides with music.”

He tapped his chin. “Y’know… that’s not a half bad idea.”

“Not half bad? Does that mean only half is good?”

“No, no, the whole idea’s good! It’s just an expression.”

He slipped his headphones over his ears and picked one of the slowest songs on his playlist. It was a waltz in ¾ time; hopefully that wouldn’t trip him up.

“Alright, here goes.”

He took a deep breath and pushed off from the wall.

One-two-three, one-two-three. The music was smooth as the ice under his skates. Kagami kept pace with him, smiling as he counted the beats under his breath.

Something about it _did_ feel different. Maybe it was that he stopped overthinking; maybe it was just the magic of music. Either way, he went the whole six-minute song without falling on his butt.

“Not half bad.” Kagami smiled. “...Did I use that right?”

“Heck yeah, dude.” They fistbumped.

“Way to go Nino!” Marinette gave him a high five as she and Alya caught up.

“Thanks for teaching my boyfriend, Kagami. I owe you one.”

“You owe me nothing, Alya.” Kagami’s cheeks turned red. “We’re all working together to ensure Adrien’s birthday is perfect. Teaching Nino is just one step in that plan.”

“Well, I still think it’s really cool of you. Oh! And speaking of the party, my mom says she can cater. I’ve already sworn her to secrecy.”

“Awesome! What about you, Marinette?” Nino took his headphones off to better hear the conversation, but his legs still knew what to do. “Are you gonna get Adrien a totally rad birthday cake or what?”

“Yeah, absolutely!” She nodded. “I’ll just have to drop it off before the party.”

“You’re still sure you can't come, girl?” Alya asked her.

“No, sorry. I promise I would if I could, but I—I’ve already made a commitment. But I’ll have the cake here on time, I swear!”

“And one of his fifty birthday presents, right?” She nudged Marinette with her elbow. Marinette nearly fell, but Nino wasn’t sure if that was from Alya’s bump or her words.

“I—I don’t have those anymore!” Her shoulders slumped. “It turns out, planning presents fifty years in advance works a lot better if you can see the future. They’re all out of style by now.”

Alya laughed at that. Nino couldn’t help noticing that Kagami had gone silent, though, her gaze locked on the ice in front of them.

“Something wrong, bro?” He asked her.

She shook her head. “Adrien’s party won’t be perfect if Marinette isn’t present. I thought she of all people would understand how much she means to him.”

Marinette gasped. “I… I’m sorry, Kagami. Adrien _does_ mean the world to me, and… I promise, I’ll make it up to him.”

Nino was forced to stop as Kagami grabbed the handrail and locked eyes with Marinette. Some kind of silent conversation seemed to pass between them. He looked to Alya for help, but she just shrugged. By now he thought he’d understand the girls, but maybe some things would always be a mystery.

“See that you do. He deserves that much.”

This wasn’t some kind of love triangle over Adrien again, was it? Kagami had stayed good friends with all of them after she and Adrien broke up. Marinette was probably still crazy in love with him, but that was nothing new.

“It’s okay, dudes. The party’s still going to be perfect. I’ve got a special surprise planned for our favorite bro.”

He winked at Alya, who grinned back. She’d been the one to help him pull it off.

“A surprise?” Marinette clapped her hands together at the same time Kagami raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t factor any surprises into our plans. Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“It’s not much of a surprise if everyone knows, is it?” Nino said. “But you’re right, I should have told you, Kagami. I just wasn’t sure if it would be awkward for you, knowing who Adrien’s crushing on now and all…”

“It’s not an issue. Adrien is a wonderful friend. That is more than enough for me,” Kagami replied.

“Adrien’s... crushing on someone?” Marinette asked, her eyes wide. 

Oops. Kagami might have taken it well, but Nino should’ve waited until Marinette was gone.

“What’s the scoop, babe?” Alya raised her eyebrow, and Nino threw his hands in the air.

“I thought you already knew! Why do you think we worked so hard to get Ladybug to show up for his party?”

Marinette caught hold of the hand rail before her legs slipped out from under her.

“Adrien has a crush on _Ladybug?”_

“Oh. That’s all?” Kagami asked. “I’ve known that for months.”

“You _have?”_

“Was it supposed to be a secret? He keeps posters of her in his fencing locker.”

Marinette still looked like she was blue screening. Alya glared at Nino, and he gave a nervous smile. What was he supposed to do? Kagami had a point; the dude wasn’t exactly subtle. 

“Anyway.” He coughed. “Our bro likes Ladybug, and she’s coming to his party, so he’s going to have a totally cash money time.”

“Cash money? You’ve been hanging out with Luka and XY too much, babe.”

Marinette giggled at that. She got her feet back under her, and they started skating in unison again. So… she wasn’t that upset? Whew.

“Oh, speaking of XY, I gotta get him here to help set up the special effects,” Nino said. “I already got permission from Phillipe. We’re going all out, courtesy of the _actual_ cash money Kitty Section and XY’s last collab made.”

“How did we end up friends with so many rich people?” Alya mused under her breath.

“It sounds like the plan is in motion, then,” Kagami said.

“Yeah, it’s going to be perfect! Adrien will love it.” Marinette grinned. “Thank you two for putting all this together.”

“Anything for my best bro.” Nino shot her finger guns.

“He deserves a party worthy of his friendship,” Kagami added.

And he was going to get one. This year, of all years, Nino refused to let anything go wrong.

XXX

Three weeks later, on the night of September twenty-first, Nino paced the blue chairs surrounding the perimeter of the ice rink. His friends wove between the chairs, setting up tables of food and games. His turntables were already in place at the head of the rink, and XY was hooking them up to the speaker system.

“Nathalie’s schedule?” Nino asked as he passed Max.

“Hacked and adjusted.” Max flashed a thumbs up. 

“Great job, dude.” He clapped him on the shoulder before moving on to Rose and Juleka’s station.

“Presents?”

“Stacked and organized!” Rose saluted.

“Sweet. Make sure to leave some extra space, there’ll be more where those came from.” He continued his path to where Chloé was lounging in a chair and scrolling through her phone.

“Chloé, status report.”

“No trace of Adrikins on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or YouTube.” She flipped her ponytail. “You should check your tone, though. I’m not some peon you can just order around.”

“Right.” He rolled his eyes. Classic Chloé. At least she was taking her job seriously, though. “Thanks for all your hard work.”

“You’re welcome.” She smirked.

Her job was one of the most important. If the media caught wind of Adrien’s location, the party would have to split before he even got here. To prevent that, Max had jammed the wifi and cell service so that only his computer, Chloé’s phone, and Nino’s phone had wifi. If anyone wanted to post about the party on social media, they’d have to wait until after it was over.

Everything was looking perfect. There wasn’t much else to do but wait for updates from Kagami.

_19:00. Arrived at the court. No sign of Adrien._

_19:04. Adrien has arrived. Bodyguard bribed and driving away._

_19:05. En route to ice rink. Adrien was suspicious, but believed my excuse of buying him birthday orange juice._

Nino shook his head with a smile. How did Kagami type all that without Adrien noticing? At least everything seemed to going smoothly on her end, too.

He started pacing again. According to Kagami, a casual stroll from the school to the ice rink took twenty minutes. It was longer than Nino wanted to wait, but the location had to be far enough away to avoid notice.

His phone beeped again. He unlocked it to see a selfie of Kagami and Adrien smiling wide, though Adrien was practically unrecognizable in the oversized hoodie and bright blue wig Kagami had borrowed from Juleka.

Alya’s chin rested on Nino’s shoulder. “Aww, look at them. All grown up and ready to rebel.”

“Psh, Kagami’s been rebelling for ages. Adrien could still learn a thing or two from her.”

“Oh look, she sent another one!” Alya clicked his phone.

In this photo, the two of them were pulling funny faces. Adrien stuck out his tongue, while Kagami puffed out her cheeks and gave him bunny ears.

Nino laughed and put an arm around his girlfriend. “We did a great job with them, didn’t we?”

“Absolutely.” She smiled before zooming in on the background. “Looks like they’re in front of the parking lot. They’ll be here any time now.”

Sure enough, Kagami texted, _19:25. Two minutes away._

“Right!” Nino gave her cheek a quick kiss before running to his turntables. He snatched up the microphone, and his voice blasted through the speakers. “Alright, dudes! Adrien’s about to walk through those doors, so everyone hide!”

Their friends dove behind tables and chairs. All of them except XY, anyway.

“What’s the point, dude? He’s gonna see all our sick lights.” XY pointed to the laser lights next to the turntable.

“That’s why we switch them _off,”_ Luka said, pressing the button. The rink fell into darkness.

“Ohhhh.”

Nino pulled the two of them under the table with him just before the double doors opened.


	2. The Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for betaing for me even though this is your fic winter xD i mega appreciate it!!

“Woah, it’s pretty dark in here. Are you sure Phillipe said it was okay to come?” Adrien asked as the doors creaked open.

It was black as pitch inside. If Nino hadn’t shown her the process photos of their decorations, she might have believed the rink was deserted.

“I’ve never lied to you,” Kagami replied. Her ice skates clinked where they hung over her shoulder. “Come on, let’s get that ridiculous wig off.”

“What? Is blue not my color?” He grinned. It was insufferably cute, even if Kagami now knew the affection she felt for him wasn’t romantic.

She pulled the wig off and tossed it aside. That was the signal she and Nino had agreed upon.

Suddenly the rink bust into light. Lasers of red and green glinted off the giant disco ball Wayhem had managed to hang at the top of the dome. Normal fluorescent bulbs flashed to life as well, illuminating the crowd that had gathered in the stands around the rink.

“ _Happy birthday, Adrien!”_ All of his friends shouted in echoing cacophony.

Kagami’s focus stayed trained on Adrien as realization dawned over him. His wide eyes took in everyone grinning at him—Nino in the back by his DJ equipment, Alya waving from closer by, Wayhem charging up to be the first to greet him.

“You… you guys threw me a birthday party?”

“It is your birthday, isn’t it?” Kagami laughed before taking his skates. “I’ll hold on to these for now. Go say hello to everyone.”

Before she knew it, Adrien’s arms were flinging around her.

“Thank you, Kagami. I know how much work this must have taken to put together.”

She relaxed in his embrace, hugging him back.

“You know you’re precious to us. If you want to thank anyone, it’s Nino who’s the mastermind.”

“I’m not surprised. He’s brilliant.” Adrien pulled back, only to give her a quick _bisous._ “I know you were involved too. Please, let me thank you.”

“O-of course, Adrien.”

They shared one last smile before Wayhem practically tackled him. 

_“Adrien!_ It’s so good to see you, man!”

Kagami backed away as the crowd advanced. Even after all this time, large groups were difficult for her to navigate. It was more than worth it to see Adrien so happy, though.

After hugs and _bisous_ were exchanged all around, Nino kicked on the stereo.

“Alright, homies! Who’s ready to get out there and break the ice?”

He played _Friday I’m in Love_ —one of Adrien’s favorite songs—as everyone who wanted to laced up their skates and filed onto the rink.

“Please, you won’t catch _me_ down in that cesspit.” Chloé tossed her ponytail. 

“Aww, but it would be fun, Chloé!” Her red-haired friend—Sabrina, if Kagami recalled correctly—smiled up at her pleadingly. She already had a pair of turquoise skates on. “If you fall, I’ll catch you!”

“Quiet!” Chloé pressed a hand to her mouth. “Do you want _everyone_ to know I can’t skate?”

“Considering you just announced it, I doubt you will keep it a secret.” Kagami’s eyes narrowed. Nino might trust Chloé now, but it was difficult to forgive someone who had abused Adrien’s friendship for so long.

“I bet you’re a professional figure skater, aren’t you,” Chloé muttered.

“No. Skating is just a hobby. But I could help teach you, if you would like.”

Kagami might not trust Chloé, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be civil. Besides, she’d been wrong about a few of Adrien’s friends before.

Chloé blinked a few times. “You would—? I mean, thanks, but no. I need to make sure the media doesn’t catch us here, anyway. It’s the most important job, you know.”

“Of course. Perhaps another time then.” She dipped her head.

“That would be… nice.”

That settled, Kagami sat a little ways off to put on her skates.

“Kagami!” Adrien plopped down in the chair beside her, looking brighter than ever. “Did you see the cake Marinette made? Alya says it’s got passionfruit icing!”

“I didn’t,” she replied honestly. “Knowing Marinette, I trust it’s amazing.”

“She’s so thoughtful.” He smiled while accepting his skates back from her. “Do you know when she’s coming? I want to thank her, but I haven’t seen her yet.”

Kagami’s brow furrowed. “Alya didn’t tell you? Marinette isn’t coming.”

“She’s… she’s not?” Adrien’s head hung. “Do you know why? Did I do something to upset her?”

“I’m sure it’s not that.” Unless it was because she’d learned of Adrien’s crush on Ladybug. Marinette was always touchy when it came to competing for Adrien’s affections, even if she’d eventually put aside her rivalry with Kagami.

“She didn’t explain why she couldn’t come. But she did say that you mean the world to her, and that she will make it up to you.”

“She really said that?” His hand hovered over his heart, his face hopeful.

Kagami wondered why Nino thought it so important to bring Ladybug to the party. Adrien looked just as thrilled at the idea of seeing Marinette.

“Yes. Now until then, let’s make the most of tonight.” 

“Right. Thank you.”

He swapped out his orange sneakers for white ice skates, and she caught a glimpse of the dragon sticker she’d stuck on his left blade back when they were dating. It left a bittersweet taste in her mouth, but more sweet than bitter. He was a dear friend. He’d shown that nothing would change that.

“Dance with me?” He asked while pulling her towards the rink.

“On the ice?”

“Why not? I know you’re skilled enough.”

She had no doubt of that. Adrien had always been a little less steady in his skates than her, though.

“Alright.” She smiled. “If you think you can keep up with me.”

“You know I never back down from a challenge!”

Nino was playing _Don’t Think Twice_ as they glided out onto the ice. She had to weave between other skaters—the arena had never been this crowded when she and Adrien escaped here before. Phillipe must have been thrilled to admit so many patrons.

“Woah!” Adrien skidded back when a young man with tall blond hair came barreling through.

“Sorry!” Luka called, skating quickly behind him. “This is XY’s first time on the ice.”

“Lu! Look, I think I’m getting the hang of it!”

Kagami hid a laugh behind her hand as XY wiped out, “starfishing” (as Nino would have called it) across the ice.

“Nice moves,” Juleka deadpanned before gliding on with Rose.

“You have some interesting friends,” Kagami noted as she and Adrien started moving again.

“I’m not sure if XY counts as a friend, exactly.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s more like… an acquaintance, or a weird family member you have to invite to reunions.”

Kagami raised an eyebrow. “You have a lot of family members like that?” She had some odd relatives, but they tended to be excluded from family gatherings.

“Er… well, Nino says his family does. I think all of my family is weird, but a different kind of weird, if you know what I mean.”

Kagami nodded, remembering the few times she’d met Adrien’s cousin Felix. Not to mention the austere Gabriel himself.

Once they got to a clearer area, Adrien took both of her hands and began skating backwards.

“You’ve gotten better,” she noted. “I still think you should let me take the male part, though. I’m more used to skating backwards than you.”

“Fair enough.” He effortlessly switched positions with her. 

At times like this, she remembered why she’d dated Adrien in the first place. Not only was he sweet, respectful, and talented, but they were so alike. They could glide in near-perfect sync from hours of easy practice. He’d been the first one to take her routine hobbies and add a _spark_ to them, make them truly fun.

Thankfully, those were all things that hadn’t changed. It had hurt when he’d first admitted that he was still in love with someone else, that he didn’t feel it was fair to treat her as a second choice. But she respected that now. He’d made his decision, and she’d learned much more about herself since then, too.

Such as the fact that she might not desire romantic affections at all.

“New song,” Adrien said when _Don’t Think Twice_ stopped playing and _Wannabe_ by the Spice Girls began. “This one’s not in three-four time. You’ll have to give me something harder than a box step waltz.”

“Okay, I’ll stop going easy on you!” 

She let go of one of his hands, spinning him out and back in. He almost skidded on the second spin, but she caught him and turned it into a dip.

“Looks like someone was getting cocky.” She smirked.

“Nah. I just knew you would catch me.” He winked.

She laughed, pulling him back upright and beginning a simpler dance that Alya had taught her. Something called a foxtrot, if she remembered correctly.

“Shouldn’t you be saving that kind of flirting for your girlfriend?” 

It was satisfying to watch the blush spread across his cheeks. “My—? I don’t have a girlfriend. But if I’m making you uncomfortable, I’m sorry, I really should have—”

“Relax, Adrien. I was only teasing.” She squeezed his hand. They continued gliding hand in hand, not pulling off any fancy tricks this time.

“Still. I should be more considerate of your feelings.”

“I’ve assured you, you have nothing to worry about.” She hoped her honest smile showed that.

“But—”

“I’m asexual, Adrien.”

He went silent. Kagami tried to keep her strides even. She’d realized this about herself for a while now—since shortly after they broke up—but she’d yet to voice it even to her closest friend. What if he didn’t believe her? Or worse, what if he believed she’d led him on in their relationship? She hadn’t realized that the strong friendship she’d felt for him wasn’t romantic or sexual attraction at the time.

“Like Max?” He replied after a moment.

The response threw her for such a loop that _she_ almost stumbled. “Like—who?”

“Max Kanté. From my class? I can introduce you if you’d like; I saw him when we came in. If you’re aro too, you might want to talk to Alix, she’s—”

A pink blur blew past them.

“—right there, actually.” He laughed. “You might want to catch her off of the rink, though. She’s even more competitive than you. It’ll be hard to get her to slow down.”

Something swelled in Kagami’s chest. She’d felt fairly secure in her identity, but still very much alone. Distant strangers on the internet could only provide so much comfort. But if Adrien knew not one, but _two_ people like her…

“Thank you,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “That would mean so much to me.”

“No problem! And I really hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable while we were dating. Relationships are pretty new to me; I never even thought to ask.”

He was worried about making _her_ uncomfortable? He really was twice the gentleman she’d assumed.

“No need to worry. I didn’t know I was ace at the time. If I was uncomfortable, I would have told you.” It had been a long road in realizing, and an even longer road in accepting her asexuality. But there was no point in trying to deny who she was. Seeing Adrien take it in stride was more of a relief than he could know. “Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

“Of course! You’re my friend, Kagami. I would never want to hurt a friend.”

Tears threatened to prick her eyes when he flashed her his brightest smile. Before she could look like a complete fool, though, Nino skated up behind Adrien and tapped his shoulder.

“Hey, bro! Hey, lady bro! You mind if I borrow Adrien for a bit? I want to show off my sick skate moves!”

Kagami laughed. She could always count on Nino to keep things light. 

“Nino?” Adrien looked shocked. “Since when do _you_ skate?”

“Since Kagami taught me! Thanks again for that, by the way.” He tipped his cap at her. 

“Why don’t we all skate together for a while? It’ll be more fun that way,” Adrien suggested.

“Whatever my best bro wants. XY took over the music, so I’m free for the next few songs.”

Adrien took both of their hands, and they glided in sync. It was a bit more difficult with Nino, since he was still a beginner, but it was no less fun. They even managed to dance a bit to the upbeat music. 

“This party is everything I could ask for,” Adrien said in the quiet between two songs. “I can’t thank you guys enough.”

“We’re just happy to see you happy, dude.” Nino clapped his shoulder. “I don’t think this party has _everything_ yet, though.”

Adrien’s brow scrunched. “What do you mean?”

That was when Kagami noticed a figure in red skating towards them. The crowd parted before her slow but steady strides. 

“I believe he means her.” Kagami pointed to the red skater.

It was worth everything to see Adrien’s eyes widen, his cheeks turn pink, an expression of utter elation wash over him. His grip on Kagami’s hand loosened as he clasped his hands in front of his chest.

“No way. No _way!_ You got _Ladybug_ to come to my party?” He looked between Kagami and Nino, as if trying to figure out who to thank for it.

“It was all Nino.” Kagami dipped her head.

“It was nothing.” Nino rubbed the back of his neck. “Alya did all the heavy lifting. Her Ladyblog connections, ya know?”

Adrien looked like he was about ready to throw his arms around both of them, but that was when Ladybug reached their group.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she said, sounding shyer than Kagami remembered her. A frozen tiara glimmered in her dark hair, reflecting the laser lights that flashed across the rink. “I heard it was someone’s birthday?”

“Me!” Adrien practically shouted. “I mean—uh, thank you so much for coming to my party, Ladybug. I’m honored.”

He bowed so deeply, his skates nearly slid out from under him. Ladybug hid a giggle behind her hand.

“You’re so cute—I _mean—_ it’s super cute—COOL of you to invite me.” She flashed finger guns at him. 

Kagami’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Was Ladybug always so awkward in social situations? 

“It was super cool of you to come!” Adrien held her shoulders to steady himself as he gave the traditional _bisous._ Ladybug’s face was bright red afterwards.

“Should we give them some space?” Nino whispered to Kagami behind his hand.

“It would defeat the purpose if we didn’t, wouldn’t it?”

“You’re leaving?” Adrien asked when he tore his eyes away from Ladybug long enough to notice. “You don’t have to!”

“No worries, dude! We’ve got to check on Chloé and make sure we’re still not on your babysitter’s radar. We’ll catch up with you later!”

Nino dragged Kagami away, nearly sending them both to the ice until she steadied them.

“Do you really think Chloé is shirking her responsibilities?” She asked.

“Nah, she seemed pretty serious about that. I just needed an excuse to leave them alone. Adrien would be too nice to leave us otherwise.”

“Oh.” Kagami leaned back against the railing, watching Adrien take Ladybug’s hand. They seemed well suited for each other. Kagami had heard Adrien wax poetic about Ladybug enough to tell his affections were genuine, and Ladybug could protect Adrien from anyone who wanted to hurt him. 

Unless _she_ was the one who ended up hurting him, in which case Kagami would have to test her sabre skills against the superhero. 

That shouldn’t be necessary. Kagami hoped they would find happiness together for at least one evening.


	3. The Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Ladybug skate together. Chloe and Kagami play damage control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter count is updated to reflect that I cut this chapter in two lol. Sorry for anyone who was hoping for the ending here. Also yes, luka/xy is a real ship here, I do what I want

“XY!” Chloé shoved partygoers aside as she stormed up to the DJ table.

“Huh?” Her former-favorite musician looked at her like she was crazy. _He_ was crazy! ...And he couldn’t hear her through those stupid clunky headphones.

She yanked them off of his ears.

“Hey! What gives, Cholera?”

“It’s _Chloé._ Seriously, we’ve met five times! How hard is it to remember my name?” If she had to call Jean Claude by his real name, the _least_ everyone else could do was give her the same respect.

“Chloé, Coleslaw, whatever. Why are you yelling?”

Chloé pinched the bridge of her nose. XY was probably just too stupid to remember. Just like he was too stupid to follow basic instructions.

“You  _posted a picture to Instagram!”_

“Yeah?” XY grinned and dug his pinkie in his ear. Ugh. His ears _had_ to be clogged if he could stand being so close to the blasting music. “Pretty cute, huh? Lu’s a really good skater.”

It _had_ been a pretty cute photo of Luka lifting XY above his head, while XY spread his arms wide like an airplane. Frankly, it was shocking that Luka’s skinny noodle arms could lift his boyfriend. But none of that was the point.

“No one is supposed to post photos until _after_ the party.” It shouldn’t have even been possible. XY’s phone must have been some fancy model that could get past Max’s data block. “You’re going to bring Adrien’s bodyguard right to us!”

“Pshaw, it’s no big deal. They’ll be too busy looking at me to even notice he’s here.”

Chloé smacked her forehead. She did _not_ get paid enough for this.

“Is something wrong?” Luka asked, approaching Chloé and XY with two slices of passionfruit cake.

“Yes, there is! Your utterly ridiculous boyfriend is going to get Adrien’s party busted!”

Luka sighed at XY. “Baby, we talked about this.”

XY’s bottom lip jutted out. “But… it was just one teeny-tiny little picture…”

“Just listen to Chloé and take it down. You can post it again when the party’s over.”

Finally, someone was taking her seriously!

“Awwww, fine.” XY pulled out his phone and deleted the post. “Happy now, Clooney?”

She huffed, but turned her back before she could say anything she’d regret.

“Excellent work, Chloé.” 

She jumped. Kagami was standing _right there._ How did she always show up like some kind of ninja?

“We will still need to engage our failsafes.” Kagami began typing on her phone. Chloé stood on her tip-toes, looking over her shoulder. She was posting… some selfies with Adrien in a blue wig? 

“Hey, I thought no one was supposed to post pictures.” Chloé frowned.

“These will lead Nathalie and Adrien’s bodyguard off our trail. I’ll adjust the lighting to make them appear as if they were taken just now.” She added filters, and the background grew dark. “Now they will believe Adrien is at the juice shop with me.”

“Not bad.” Chloé smirked. “You know, for someone who never lies, you’re awfully good at fooling people.”

“Only when necessary. Adrien’s happiness tonight is my number one priority.”

Kagami’s gaze shifted down to the rink, where Adrien and Ladybug were skating hand-in-hand.

“You’ve done a good job,” Chloé said quietly, leaning against the railing. Over her shoulder she watched Adrien and Ladybug weave figure eights. Even over XY’s blaring music, she could hear their laughter. Two years ago that would have made her jealous. 

But it was good to see her oldest friend and her biggest hero make each other happy, even if it was only for one night.

“Come on.” Kagami smiled at her. “No more slacking. Time to learn how to skate.”

Chloé faked annoyance. “Oh, alright. If you insist.”

XXX

Adrien glided like he was in a dream. The soft pressure of Ladybug’s hand in his was the only thing anchoring him to the ground, and even that felt too good to be real.

But she _was_ real. She was here. She cared about Adrien enough to come to his birthday party.

“You didn’t hit your head too hard, did you?” Ladybug giggled.

Oh. He must have been staring at her stupidly again. That was how he’d tripped over Marc and crashed the first time.

“I’m fine. It helps that the ground is a built-in ice pack.”

She laughed again. She never laughed at Chat Noir’s jokes this much. Maybe she was just trying not to hurt his feelings on his birthday, but he’d take it.

“Look at that.” She bumped his shoulder with hers. “Looks like Queen Bee could use an ice power-up.”

He laughed as he saw Chloé wobble onto the rink, Kagami steadying her with both hands. He was glad they were both getting along, or at least trying to. Having so many of his friends in one place was the best birthday gift of all.

“I bet she’d love that.” He wished he could use his ice powers too. It would make it easier to avoid slipping and embarrassing himself again.

Not that she’d laughed _at_ him, really. That would be weird to get used to—not that he _should_ get used to it. As soon as he was suited up again, they’d be back to bantering and making fun of each other like normal. 

But for now, he savored the feeling of her eyes on his, of the way her brow softened beneath her mask every time he smiled.

(He was smiling a _lot._ )

“Hey, Adrien! You gonna kiss her yet?” 

Adrien’s face caught fire at Kim’s shout. Kim didn’t just say that. 

_ Please tell me he didn’t just say that. _

His eyes darted to Ladybug’s. She’d dropped his hand, and her mouth was stammering wordlessly. 

He couldn’t blame her. His brain wouldn’t send a coherent thought to his mouth, either.

Kim turned around and started skating backwards. “I’ve got a bet with Alix. She thinks you don’t have the guts, but I believe in you. Don’t let me down, man!”

He promptly crashed into Nino and Alya, and all three of them wiped out. Normally, Adrien would’ve rushed to help his friends up. But right now, he wanted nothing more to melt through the ice.

“Please just—ignore him,” he said quickly, falling back and clinging to the handrail. “I don’t know where he got the idea that—I mean, not that I _wouldn’t—_ er—I’m going to shut up now.”

She laughed hysterically, eyes darting back and forth. Was she already looking for a way to escape? 

Gah, and everything had been going so well too! He could almost believe that Ladybug… that she… what, _liked_ him? Just because she was nice to him and laughed at his jokes and held his hand…

“You know,” she said quietly, “I wouldn’t, um, mind if you…”

His heart sped up. It could’ve done backflips in the pauses between her words.

“If I…?” He asked, trying not to sound too eager. She could’ve been about to say anything, after all. 

Like maybe she wouldn’t mind if he left her alone forever. Maybe she wouldn’t mind if he faceplanted on the ice like Kim did. Maybe she wouldn’t mind if he locked himself in a tower, never to see the light of day until a fearless ogre came to save him.

She leaned in closer. Her eyes sparkled as bright as the frosty tips of her tiara.

“If you… got me a slice of cake!”

He blinked, pulling back. “O-of course! Um, did you want me to bring it back here, or…?”

“Uh, yeah, sure!” She said. “Er, on second thought, there’s no tables on the rink, haha, and I’ll probably trip even _with_ my powers if I try to eat down here…”

“There’s tables closer to the entrance,” he suggested, still startled by Ladybug’s sudden shift. The smile on her face looked strained.

“S-sounds great!”

Unfortunately, getting out of the rink meant skating past Kim again. He’d finally made it to his feet with Nino and Alya’s help. Alix sped past, blowing a raspberry at him.

“Just don’t make eye contact and we might be fine,” he said under his breath.

...Or not.

“Yo, Ladybug! How’s my little monkey dude doing?”

Ladybug groaned. “That’s my luck.”

“I thought Chat Noir was supposed to be the one with bad luck?” Adrien joked right before Kim got close enough to sling an arm around Ladybug’s shoulder.

“Hey, King Monkey.” She grimaced. “Xuppu’s doing fine. But, um, Adrien and I were just about to get some cake, so…”

“Aww, come on! I bet my boy Adrien tastes better than some kind of fruitcake. Who even thought of putting fruit and cake together? _Gross.”_ Kim stuck out his tongue.

Plagg was shaking with laughter inside of Adrien’s borrowed hoodie. Couldn’t the kwami Just Cataclysm him and put him out of his misery?

“It’s passionfruit cake,” he corrected on principle. “And Marinette made it, so it’s going to be amazing.”

For some reason, Ladybug’s face only got more red at that. “Right, amazing! Definitely better than kissing Adrien, ha! Ha ha ha…”

Ouch. Now _that_ hurt worse than a Cataclysm.

Kim winced in sympathy before patting Adrien’s shoulder. “Sorry, buddy. I tried.”

“Please stop trying,” he whined.

He and Ladybug finally escaped Kim. Adrien glanced over his shoulder, and saw Nino flashing him a comforting grin. Alya had dropped her head in her hands.

_ Me too, Alya. Me too. _

XXX

“Lesson’s over,” Chloé said while pulling her phone from her pocket. She didn’t slip, even without holding onto the handrail. Despite her attitude, she was implementing Kagami’s lessons well.

“The student doesn’t decide the length of the lesson.” She crossed her arms. 

“She does when she has bad news.” Chloé scowled. “Max just texted. That tracker you and Nino put on the Gorilla's car? It’s going off.”

She held up her screen, which showed a map of the streets near their location. A red skull icon flashed towards the ice rink. Not good. Adrien hadn’t even gotten the chance to eat his cake yet.

“We’ll have to deploy the contingency plan.”

“I thought you already—”

“The _other_ contingency plan.”

Kagami grabbed Chloé’s hand and skated towards the exit. 

It was time to find Wayhem.

XXX

Marinette’s pulse pounded in her ears. Adrien was still holding her hand, even after Kim had come along and… well, been Kim. But she could take it. She was cool. She was confident. She knew Adrien had a crush on her!

And yet she was still too much of a coward to kiss him.

What if Nino and Kagami were wrong? Granted, Nino knew Adrien better than anyone, and Kagami had probably never been wrong in her life. 

But still.

“I hope you like passionfruit.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck before cutting her a slice of the three-tiered cake. It had taken her two days to fine-tune the recipe, not including the full afternoon she’d spent adding details with icing. It was a pale shade of pinky-orange, dotted around the edges with rosettes of spring green. Just like his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I love it!” she said. It was a bit of an exaggeration, but she _had_ gained a taste for it after eating one passionfruit macaron a week for the past two years. “You’re lucky Chat Noir isn’t here. He’d finish off this whole cake as soon as your back was turned.”

Adrien laughed. “He’s got good taste, then.”

It was too bad Marinette didn’t know Chat Noir’s birthday. Passionfruit was his favorite favor, too; she could reuse the recipe. 

They took their cake and some plastic forks and settled down at a table. She sat across from him, but the table was small enough for her knees to bump his underneath. She’d dismissed her ice transformation, so she didn’t have to worry about stabbing his feet with her blades.

“Wow,” Adrien said through his first bite. “I knew this cake was going to be good, but this is—I’ve never tasted anything like it!”

“Really?” She grinned. If he was saying that to Ladybug, then he wasn’t just saying it to be nice. He really liked her cake!

“ _Really._ I shouldn’t be so surprised, though. Marinette’s amazing at everything. She’s designed album covers for Jagged Stone, and won the student Ultimate Mecha Strike Tournament, and even impressed my father.” He sighed wistfully. “It’s too bad she couldn’t make it. I really wanted to thank her.”

Her heart fluttered like a butterfly on steroids.

“I—I’m sure she wanted to be here too,” she said. Should she find a way to sneak off and detransform? Would Adrien have been happier if she’d come as herself? “And I’m sure, if she were here… she’d want to thank _you._ For being such a good friend.”

He stared at her with soft eyes. A bit of icing still clung to his bottom lip. She tore her gaze away.

_ You heard what he told Kim. He doesn’t want to kiss you! _

Wait. That was what _she_ told Kim. After she’d panicked and blabbered something stupid by reflex. Why had she said that? She _did_ want to kiss Adrien! Now he was going to think that she hated him and probably hate the birthday present she’d brought and— 

“Ladybug?” Adrien’s voice finally snapped her out of her spiral. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Huh? Why wouldn’t I be?” She grinned too wide.

He glanced down at her plate. Her fork was stabbed into the thin styrofoam. That wasn’t the only thing she’d stabbed, apparently.

“You, um. Spaced out and carved a broken heart into your cake. Unless it’s supposed to be an upside-down spade…?”

She hurriedly shoved forkfuls of cake into her mouth. Ugh, she was a _mess_ without Alya here to help her keep cool. How would Alya feel about getting her miraculous back for the sole purpose of wingmanning? 

It probably wouldn’t work. There wasn’t an illusion strong enough to cover up Marinette’s spazzing.

She swallowed her cake. “I’m sorry, Adrien. I just got distracted for a second. What were you saying?”

“I was just talking about Marinette… you two are friends, right?”

“Friends? What—what makes you say that?” She blinked.

“She helped you fight the Evillustrator and Kwamibuster. I guess I just assumed, but—”

“Wait.” Marinette dropped the fork back to her plate. For once, her mind whirled for a reason other than proximity to Adrien. “You—how do you know Marinette helped with Kwamibuster?” 

Had Chat Noir gone around blabbing about Multimouse to everyone? No, there’d never been a trace of her on the Ladyblog. And Chat wouldn’t reveal heroes’ identities like that, even if she’d already told him that “Multimouse” couldn’t hold a miraculous again.

“Um… because, she… told me?” Adrien shrugged. A tentative smile graced his lips.

Her brow creased. “No, she didn’t.”

This didn’t make any _sense_. How did Adrien really know, and why would he lie about it? 

Unless—?

Before she could follow that train of thought, Chloé’s hands slammed down on their table.

“Sorry to interrupt, but you two need to go. We’ve got company.”

“What?” Marinette blinked. “Is there an akuma? I’ll—”

She shook her head. “Worse. Kagami’s backups failed. Nathalie’s here.”

_ “What?”  _ Adrien stood, nearly kicking Marinette’s shin in his haste to get up. “I have to stop her before she tries to have Nino arrested again!”

Marinette grimaced. Yeah, Adrien’s sixteenth birthday party hadn’t exactly worked out. But she wasn’t about to let this one get ruined, too.

“No way, Adrikins.” Chloé blocked his path. “Kagami’s handling her. She told me to make sure _you_ get out before you’re grounded for life.”

“But—!”

“Ladybug, I know you’re smart.” Chloé turned to her before he could protest. “Take him out the window before he pulls one of his little self-sacrificing stunts again.”

Self-sacrificing. That would be like Adrien.

(It would also be like a certain partner of hers, who also liked passionfruit, knew about Multimouse, and had a crush on Ladybug.) 

“I can’t just leave you—!”

Marinette stood and wrapped an arm tightly around his waist. He cut off, blushing at their proximity.

“You heard Queen Bee.” She winked at Chloé, who smiled. “Let’s trust your friends. And trust me, too. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

He looked down into her eyes, then hesitated as if about to ask something.

“Whatever, just take your surprise out _there_!”Chloé pushed them away from the tables.

“Right. Hold onto me,” Marinette told Adrien before grabbing her yo-yo.

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” he mumbled into her hair, his arms firm around her shoulders.

_ This is fine,  _ she told herself while trying not to melt into an ecstatic puddle. Then she cast out her yo-yo and swung through the distant window.

She and Adrien had a lot to talk about.


	4. The Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nathalie and co. crash the party. This time, Alya is the one with the backup plan. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Ladybug and Adrien are both stupidly in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Winter for beta reading again sldkfjsdlkf
> 
> This chapter actually is the end!! yay!!

“I am telling you! If you did not RSVP, you do not come in! That is the rules!” Philippe spread his arms wide, blocking the entrance to the rink. Nino could barely see him through the crack in the double doors. Philippe was a cool dude, but he wouldn’t last long against Nathalie, Adrien’s bodyguard, and tablet-Gabe himself.

Nino was tempted to go out there and turn the tablet’s power off, just to see what Nathalie would do. But he didn’t want to get Adrien grounded for the next millennium.

Plus, he wasn’t supposed to be seen at all. Kagami and Wayhem were on stalling duty with Philippe. Nino just had to make sure that Nathalie wouldn’t find any trace of Adrien when she eventually forced her way in.

“They’re gone. Finally.” Chloé reported.

Nino nodded. He’d seen a red blur leave through the window.

“Rose, Juleka, and I hid the presents behind the skate rental booth,” Alya said. “Kim ate the rest of the cake, and Luka took XY to make out in the bathroom. That should cover all the loose ends.”

“Why are you telling _us_ that?” Chloé gagged, and Alya rolled her eyes.

“Because XY’s obviously the weakest link here. You said you caught him posting photos on Insta, right?”

“I did. It’s a good thing you put me on the job.” She flipped her hair.

Not that it mattered in the end, because Nathalie had found them anyway. But the rink looked about as innocent as it could get. With the presents hidden, the laser lights turned off, and generic pop music playing, they could’ve been a bunch of dudes on a regular Friday evening.

“Anyway, we’ll all be safer if XY isn’t here to spill our secrets for a little while. You better go too, babe,” Alya said, squeezing Nino’s hand. 

“Go where? Apparently Luka and XY called dibs on the bathroom.” Besides, he’d planned this party, and he was going to see it through. It was time to break his three-year-long failure streak.

Alya sighed. “I’ll be ready to pay your bail, then.”

He gave a weak grin. Like Adrien, he was still seventeen. They couldn’t _actually_ arrest him, right?

Considering the Agrestes were loaded, he wouldn’t take his chances.

The doors opened. Nino did his best not to scowl at Gabriel’s face on the tablet.

“What gives?” He asked, pretending like he _hadn’t_ put weeks of planning into this moment. “Did you get mad we didn’t invite you to our sweet party?”

“So you admit it,” Gabe said coldly from the screen. Nathalie remained as still as a statue, like she was only there to display her boss’ face. It was pretty creepy, honestly. Adrien’s bodyguard was normally silent anyway, so that wasn’t as unnerving.

“Admit what? That we know how to have a rad time, and you don’t?” Nino put his hands on his hips. His tone might be pushing it, but if he acted too nice, Gabe would never buy it.

“That you threw a birthday party for _dsfkslksdkfklfdfk_ when I have repeatedly _sdlfdsfsllkdf_ express disapproval.” Gabriel’s face glitched out a few times, his voice blurring to something like a keysmash. 

Nino bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Man, he owed Max big time for this.

“Birthday party?” Wayhem frowned. He was a better actor than most of them. “I didn’t hear anything about a birthday.”

“Today is my son’s _sdsaskdlf_ irthday.”

Wayhem’s head tilted. “You have a son?”

Nino choked. Okay, maybe Wayhem was trying _too_ hard, but the look on tablet-Gabe’s face was priceless. If only he could convince Nathalie to take a screenshot.

“It’s Adrien’s birthday, dude.” Nino punched Wayhem’s arm. “We just couldn’t invite him, remember? ‘Cause his dad’s a buzzkill.”

“I took him out for birthday orange juice to cheer him up,” Kagami told Wayhem, but her words were really directed towards Gabriel. “A poor substitute for a party, but it was the best I could do.”

Gabriel’s eyes flickered, as if scanning as much of the rink as his screen would allow.

“Search the area.”

Adrien’s bodyguard nodded once, not that Gabe could see him from his angle. Then he went off to inspect the rows of chairs. At least he wasn’t starting with the skate rental booth.

“Be careful with my rink! Don’t step on the ice without proper skating equipment!” Philippe shouted. 

“Weren’t you listening? He’s not here, dude—sir,” Nino corrected. Not that it mattered much. He’d already been as disrespectful as he dared. 

Gabe’s face glitched again. “Where is my son now, then?”

Alya shrugged. “Probably on his way home, right?”

_ “Alone?”  _ He practically snarled. The tablet froze for a moment, catching his mouth open in an unflattering frame. Maybe Nino could sneak his phone out and take a picture if he couldn’t get a real screenshot. “Why wouldn’t he call his bodyguard? Have you all _dslkfddfsjljfdls_ irresponsible—”

“He’s with Ladybug, dude,” Nino interrupted. Adrien’s bodyguard was getting close to the skates; he couldn’t afford to stall too long. “He can’t get safer than that.”

For some reason, that only seemed to make Gabe seethe more. But a neutral expression quickly replaced it, so maybe Nino was just imagining things.

“If _sdlfkdfs_ your idea of a trick, you’ll have to—”

Kagami’s phone dinged. Silently, she held up her screen to the tablet. Nino couldn’t see what it showed, but Gabe’s mouth finally shut.

“Nathalie. Return home at once and _sdlfjkdssdls_ Ladybug has delivered my son safely.”

Nathalie’s expression changed for the first time, her eyes widening. “But, sir, aren’t you already at—”

“ _Kskdlfskfl_ _at once.”_ The screen went dark.

Nathalie sighed, like Gabriel had taken the last bit of her composure with him. 

“Enjoy your not-birthday party,” she said in monotone before exiting the rink, her heels clicking against the concrete floor with each step.

Adrien’s bodyguard jogged after her. His face was bright pink—he’d just come out from investigating the boy’s bathroom. XY must have been useful after all.

Nino whistled once the adults were gone. “What did you show her?”

Kagami held up her phone for him. Adrien’s face was squished next to Ladybug’s in a selfie he’d posted to Instagram. Her smile looked a little more hysteric than Alya’s Ladyblog photos could capture. Actually, it looked kind of familiar.

But Nino didn’t think too hard about that, considering the caption Adrien had typed.

_ Escorted home by my favorite superhero! I couldn’t ask for a more miraculous birthday present!! <3 _

If Ladybug looked awkward, it was probably just embarrassment at how cheesy he was.

“How did you get that so fast?” Nino frowned.

“I messaged Adrien while you were stalling. Unfortunately, he’ll have to return home to maintain the illusion.” Her brows pulled into a scowl. “I should have created a contingency plan for this.”

_ “What?”  _ Kim shouted. “But I haven’t even won my bet!”

Alix cackled and stretched out her hand. “Pay up, loser.”

Juleka ran her fingers comfortingly through Rose’s hair. Max frowned down at his computer screen. Others were murmuring to each other, looking downcast. All of them knew how much work Nino and Kagami had put into this party. All of them knew how much it meant to Adrien.

“Come on, we’re not giving up that easily!” Nino insisted. “There’s gotta be some way to keep fooling Nathalie. What if Max hacks the sound system again? We can make it sound like he’s in bed snoring, or something.”

“Guys?” Alya stepped up, waving her phone at the two of them. “I have a better idea.”

XXX

Marinette.exe had stopped working. Thankfully, Ladybug.exe could still run on backup power. She tried to keep her cool as she swung them up onto the roof of the rink.

“Wait,” Adrien said before she could cast out her yo-yo again. His breath was close to her neck, ruffling her pigtails. She did her best not to shiver.

“We need to get you away from here. Just in case,” Marinette said. The silver limo was still parked below, but she had no idea how long it would take for Nathalie and Adrien’s bodyguard to leave the rink.

“They won't see us up here. I can’t leave without making sure Nino is okay. Last year, my father almost got him arrested.”

Marinette winced. Of course, Adrien didn’t know that “Ladybug” was there for his previous almost-birthday-party, close enough to see the bruises on Nino’s arm.

“I hope he’s alright too,” she said quietly before gently setting him on his feet. His arms were still secure around her neck, and his ring was a shock of cold where it brushed her skin.

His ring. She’d never seen him without it.

“I—sorry!” Adrien practically yelped when she did shiver. His arms slapped back to his sides.

She couldn’t do anything but stare as red spilled across his cheeks. It was him. It _had_ to be him.

Ladybug.exe was beginning to shut down too. Maybe Max could reinstall her software.

“Ladybug?” Adrien swallowed. “We should probably hide a little bit better…”

“R-right!”

She let him pull her flat against the roof. They laid there on their stomachs, her arm pressed to his, their fingers still twined together. His silver ring gleamed against the red of her suit.

How was she supposed to breach the subject? _“Oh, by the way, I know you’re Chat Noir?”_ It was his birthday. He deserved a perfect identity reveal, not just her stupidly blurting whatever came into her head. 

His phone beeped, startling her.

“Sorry. Kagami said to keep my ringer on in case of an emergency.” He fished the phone from his pocket and set it on the roof. They were close enough for Marinette to see the message from Kagami on his screen.

“She needs us to take a selfie?” Her brow furrowed.

Adrien shrugged. “It must be important.”

They sat up, still holding hands. Her blush probably matched his by now, but if he hadn’t let go, why should she?

She shuffled closer to him, until her chin was resting over his shoulder. Just so they would both fit in the camera frame, of course. Not because she wanted to press her cheek to his, feel his blush on her skin.

Yeah, she wasn’t kidding anyone. Except maybe him.

“Smile!” He said, holding up his phone.

As if she could _not_ smile when breathing in his radiant, carefree, _dreamy_ scent. When she knew more than ever that they were made for each other.

Her grin still looked a bit too wide in the photo, not like his perfect, brilliant smile.

“You’re still that happy?” She couldn’t help blurting. She had his model smiles memorized. This wasn’t one of them. It was too genuine, much more so than her tense grin.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He looked up from where he was typing out a caption. “I get to spend my birthday with my—with my favorite superhero.” His smile twitched, almost becoming a familiar smirk. 

She blushed, even though Chat Noir had said more flirtatious things to her than that.

“But your party might be over. You didn’t even get to open presents.” Which reminded her, she still had his present in her yo-yo. Now didn’t feel like the right time to give it to him, though.

“The best present is how much my friends thought of me.” He squeezed her hand. “And I wouldn’t worry yet. Nino and Kagami probably have a plan for this.”

His phone rang. Nino or Kagami already? Was the coast clear?

But the contact on the screen wasn’t either of them.

“Alya?” Adrien asked after picking up. “Is everything okay? Nino didn’t do anything crazy, did he?”

Marinette strained to pick out what Alya was saying on the other end, but it was too muffled. Adrien’s eyes widened.

“Uh…” To her surprise, he held out the phone to her. “Alya wants to talk to you.”

Marinette blinked before holding the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

Alya didn’t waste time with introductions.  _“Sorry to interrupt your date, but I know a way we can save Adrien’s party. Can I borrow the fox miraculous again?”_

XXX

Alya played a few notes on her flute, and brilliant light streamed from the end. It coalesced into Adrien’s sleeping form, nestled beneath the covers. So realistic. His back even rose and fell with the illusion of breath.

“Amazing,” Marinette whispered as she crouched in Adrien’s windowsill. She tried not to fidget as she kept lookout—not that Nathalie should show up anytime soon. Even though Marinette had stopped to pick up Alya’s miraculous, they’d easily left the Agreste limo behind in the Friday evening traffic. 

Alya strapped her flute to her back and nodded. “Probably a waste of effort. I doubt Nathalie will even pay attention.”

Marinette sighed. She was probably right. If only she could take Adrien away for longer than one evening, one birthday party…

_ Soon.  _ Even if Adrien had to spend his days here, she would make sure his nights were full of freedom and laughter. 

Full of  _love._

Just as soon as she found out the best way to reveal her identity. It was only fair, now that she’d figured out his. And then everything would be perfect, and they’d go on dates in the park, and she’d sew him sweaters to wear over his suit, and he’d crack puns and she’d pun back, and— 

“You alright there, Ladybug?” The faux eyebrows on Alya’s mask drew together.

“Yep! Doing great!” She grinned, face heating. She had to be careful. If she daydreamed too much in front of Alya, her friend might puzzle out her identity, too.

“We better go then. Don’t want to leave your boyfriend waiting.” She winked.

Marinette gaped. “What? He’s not—I mean, I wouldn’t mind if he _was,_ but—”

She couldn’t date Adrien as Ladybug. She’d known that even before she agreed to come suited up to his party. But she hadn’t realized just how much of a mess it would be if Alya thought Ladybug was dating Adrien, and then Marinette showed up with him at school.

“It’s okay. Practically everyone’s had a crush on Adrien at some point. But Ladybug?” Alya stepped close, then swung her legs over the windowsill so they were sitting side by side. “If you _really_ want to be with him, you’d better love him, okay? At least as much as my best friend does. And I’m not sure that’s possible.”

Her face heated, but from what? Embarrassment? Intimidation? She was being ridiculous. Alya was comparing her to  _herself!_

“I—I promise I’ll take his feelings seriously,” she said quietly.

Alya nodded. “Well then, let’s go.”

With that, she leapt off for the next rooftop. Marinette lagged behind for just a moment, though, glancing back at the illusory Adrien.

“He means everything to me.”

XXX

Adrien paced on the roof after Ladybug left. He wasn’t sure what she was doing with Alya, or how they were going to keep Nathalie from realizing he wasn’t in his room. She was Ladybug. She always had a plan.

He did kind of wish she’d remembered to take him back inside first, though.

“So you’re just gonna sit out here? You’re missing your own party!” Plagg said, flying out of his hoodie.

“It’s alright.” He swung his legs over the edge of the roof, kicking slowly back and forth. The party had been amazing, and while he did want to be back inside, this was nice too. The evening air, the bright moon, the phantom memory of Ladybug’s hand in his.

Did she actually like him? _Him?_ No way. She’d said she didn’t want to kiss him, and she’d acted a little bit off all night.

Maybe that was why he waited up here, rather than transforming and climbing down. Somehow, he felt that if he could see her just one more time, he’d be able to understand.

His phone beeped. He checked it immediately, heart pounding. Was Ladybug okay? Had her and Alya’s mysterious plan failed?

No. It was Kagami, just checking on him. He breathed a sigh of relief and began typing a reply.

“Boring.” Plagg sighed. “Wake me up when we get back inside. I didn’t even get the chance to check out the cheese table.”

Adrien smiled and patted him as he snuggled back in the hoodie pocket.

_ I’ll be back soon,  _ he typed.  _Just waiting on Ladybug._

_ She left you up there?  _ Kagami sent back.  _I’ll come get you. Philippe is showing me a way up._

His eyes widened. That fast? Well, Kagami was never one to hesitate.

He didn’t even have time to write a reply before Philippe’s head poked up through a hidden trap door.

“Ah, there you are! The man of the hour!” He smiled. “Your friend is looking for you. She’s waiting below.”

“Thanks. I’ll be down in just a second.” He waved back, then turned his gaze to the horizon.

“Don’t take too long. She’s very concerned about you.”

Kagami was always looking out for him. It warmed his heart, even as he felt guilty for missing the party she’d planned.

“I won’t; don’t worry.”

Philippe disappeared down the hatch, and sure enough, Ladybug didn’t keep him waiting much longer either. She dropped Alya off at the front door before swinging up onto the roof.

“You should be safe now,” she said with a smile. “Your father will never know you’re here.”

He smiled back, suddenly overwhelmed with just how much he loved this girl. Not only had she come to his party, she’d gone out of her way to make sure he didn’t get in trouble. 

Of course, Alya had helped with that too. He’d have to thank her when he got back inside.

“Thank you, Ladybug.” He fought back the urge to take her hand again. He didn’t have an excuse this time. Besides, he was around her all the time as Chat Noir; he should have enough practice keeping his hands to himself.

She just smiled back, looking as strained as before, like a balloon about to burst.

“Are you okay?” He asked, reaching out vaguely before letting his arm fall back to his side. Hands to himself.

Because she _didn’t_ like him. Probably. Even if his love was like a drum beating its way out of his chest, so loud she’d have to be deaf to ignore it.

She laughed with her head in her hands. “Why does everyone keep asking that?” 

“Um… because you’ve been acting a little bit weird all night, and if I did anything to make you uncomfortable, I want to be able to fix it.”

“You?” Her head popped back up, revealing wide eyes. “Worried about making _me_ uncomfortable?”

“Uh… yeah?” He wasn’t suited up, and “Adrien” didn’t have years of familiarity to fall back on. Each casual touch could be misconstrued.

This time, her laugh was real, echoing over the traffic below.

“You’re too nice, you know that?” She finally said.

“Um… thanks?”

_ Real eloquent, Adrien.  _ He was pretty sure he’d started the last three sentences with some variation of  _uh._

“I mean it. You’re always too nice, and you’re always here for me, and I—I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.” She hiccuped, and—and was she  _crying?_

“My—” he cut off before he could say  _my lady._

But she just smiled, even as tears trickled down her mask.

“Your lady. Yeah.” She giggled, though a wet sniffle interrupted it. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get all emotional. I planned out a whole speech on the way over, and then I saw you and it just— _woosh!_ Gone.” 

_ Your lady.  _ His… but then she…?

“You’re so cute when you figure things out,” she said, reaching out to take his hand. “I hope you’re not disappointed. I wanted to give you a more dramatic reveal, but I—I just love you so much, aaaaaaand I wasn’t supposed to say that yet either.”

She smacked her forehead with her free hand. He was still gaping, his soul practically leaving his body.

“How could I ever be disappointed with _that?”_ He breathed, looking between her eyes and their joined hands. He gave hers an experimental squeeze, and found that she squeezed back. Sparks went off from his fingers to his toes. “My Lady, this is the best birthday present ever.”

That was a lie. She threw her arms around him, and _that_ was the best present ever. Every heartbeat was better, and better, and soon he was laughing and breathing in the scent of her hair, and she was laughing back and squeezing him so tight he could burst.

“I love you too,” he said against her neck. “Obviously.” 

_ “Obviously,”  _ she huffed. “It wasn’t obvious to  _me.”_

“Well, I’ll make sure it will be from now on.” He pulled back just enough to rest his forehead against hers, to stare into her eyes. A few freckles spilled out from under her mask. He’d never been close enough to see those before.

“I’d appreciate that.”

He could’ve asked when, or how, or _why_ she’d fallen for him. What happened to the other boy she used to talk about? 

But that all faded in the face of her lips brushing his. Hesitant at first, then wanting, needing. _This_ was better than anything he could’ve asked for. A giddy laugh burst from his lungs to hers, and she pulled back.

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. You probably weren’t supposed to laugh in someone’s mouth while you were kissing them. “I got a little too excited.”

“Adrien.” She cupped his cheek in her palm. “Never feel sorry for being happy. Or excited. I’m so excited I could die right now.”

“Please don’t.”

She chuckled. “Anyway, as much as I just want to keep kissing you, I should probably give you your real birthday present.”

He blinked. If she had more in mind for him than that, _he_ might actually die.

She flipped open her yo-yo and pulled something from inside. A little vial?

“I remembered you saying that you hated _Adrien: the Fragrance,_ ” she started, rolling the glass between her fingers. A pinkish liquid sloshed inside. “So I found out some scents that you like, and I put something together. Making cologne is a lot like making the potions for our kwamis.”

“You… _made_ this?” He accepted the bottle, unscrewing the top to take a whiff. It _did_ smell wonderful. Like roses and strawberries, with just a hint of rain. Was it magical, like the potions she could create? “This is amazing _,_ my Lady. But… when did I tell you I hated the fragrance they made me advertise?”

She smiled. “That’s the other part of your present.”

His eyebrows creased, but before he could ask for clarification, she whispered, “Tikki, spots off.”

He stared wide-eyed as pink light washed over her. When the sparkles faded, he gasped.

“Marinette.” Her name tasted sweeter than the smells she’d mixed just for him.  _“Marinette.”_

He couldn’t say anything else. His face was sore from smiling so much, but he couldn’t stop. Ladybug was _Marinette,_ and she loved him!

“That makes sense,” a voice said from behind him. He almost screamed, but Ladybug— _Marinette_ —slapped a hand over his mouth first.

_ “Kagami?”  _ She gaped. Her hand fell from Adrien’s face, giving him room to turn around. “What—what are you doing up here?”

Kagami crossed her arms over the lip of the trap door. “Adrien didn’t come down. Philippe told you not to take too long. But I understand why you did.” She nodded, as if thinking to herself. 

Adrien locked frantic eyes with Marinette. Just because she was okay with revealing her identity to Chat Noir didn’t mean she’d be okay with Kagami knowing too.

“You… um… so how much did you…?” He trailed off.

“I was waiting for you to finish kissing. I’m told it’s impolite to interrupt.”

His eyes widened. She’d been watching for _that long?_ He hoped she wasn’t upset. Even if she didn’t like him romantically, it might still be awkward to watch him kiss someone else.

Marinette was bright red, but she cleared her throat. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”

“About your secret identity, or about kissing Adrien?”

“My identity,” she said quickly, looking more and more mortified by the second.

Kagami grinned. It was a rare expression on her, but all the more special for it. “I was only teasing. Of course I will guard your identity with my life.”

Marinette smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Kagami.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll tell the others Ladybug dropped you off, so you were able to make it after all.” She took a step down the ladder, before pausing and poking her head back up. “And Marinette? Thank you for taking care of him.”

“Of course. He means everything to me.”

His heart warmed at the praise, at the way she said it so matter-of-factly. 

Kagami disappeared back down the ladder, leaving him and Marinette in silence that somehow felt both comfortable and vaguely awkward.

“So, uh… you don’t mind if people know that we kissed?” He asked cautiously.

That finally made her laugh again. “Of course not. I was… well, I was hoping you were going to be my boyfriend.”

“Yes,” he said quickly, as if she’d change her mind. “I mean—please let me be your boyfriend. _That_ would be the best birthday present ever.”

She took his hand again and squeezed it tenderly before slipping his cologne vial into his hoodie pocket. He’d dropped it at some point while they were kissing. Plagg, blessedly, did not complain, even though the little bottle probably bonked him on the head.

“Then happy birthday, boyfriend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! I hope you enjoyed!


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